It's bilking the public, the hospitals, the doctors, and the dentists. Who is benefitting? The insurance companies, of course.
Example: a dentist purchases the thriving practice of a retiring dentist. To attract new patients, she decides to accept dental insurance and signs a contract with insurance companies to accept their payments in exchange for referrals from the insurance companies. She raises her rates on the uninsured patients to cover the loss from the lower rates that the insurance companies pay her. Result? She'll lose the uninsured patients and become totally dependant on the insurance companies who, in fact, control her business.
Example: Laboratory fees for medicare and medicaid are capped by the states. But labs contract with the various insurance companies to bill various rates. The labs can charge exhorbitant fees to the uninsured. Google LabCorp for further information on laboratory scams.
Watch what "health reform" gets proposed. Wanna bet that it involves
paying insurance companies instead of controlling them? Massachusetts Governor
Romney pushed through compulsory medical insurance. Like that's going to work.
(see http://hypocrisytoday.com/mandatoryinsurance.html)
Got more examples? E-Mail the Muckraker. We'll post it here.